Serum Levels of Neuropeptides in Cows with Left Abomasal Displacement.

Marlene Sickinger,Klaus Failing,Axel Wehrend,Joachim Roth

doi:10.3390/vetsci5040103

Abstract

Abomasal displacement (AD) to the left is a common disease in high-yielding dairy cows after parturition. In view of the previously reported changes in tissue neuropeptide concentrations in cows with AD, the primary aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of AD and breed on serum neuropeptide concentrations. For this purpose, blood samples of 33 German Holstein (GH) cows with AD, 36 healthy controls (GH), and 32 healthy German Fleckvieh (GF) cows were collected, and concentrations of substance P (SP), vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP), and interleukin1β (IL-1β) were measured via commercially available ELISA kits. To examine the effect of AD, we compared GH cows with and without AD and observed no significant effects of AD on SP, VIP, or Il-1 β concentrations. To evaluate the effect of breed, we compared healthy GH with healthy GF cows and detected markedly higher VIP serum levels in the healthy GF cows (p < 0.01). No significant differences in SP or IL-1β were detected. According to our results, there seems to be no effect of AD on the serum concentrations of SP, VIP, or IL-1 β. In contrast, there seems to be a breed difference concerning serum VIP concentrations.

Highlights

A multitude of risk factors for the development of abomasal displacement (AD) in cows have been described, including early lactation, breed and genetics, nutrition and body condition, puerperal diseases, and electrolyte disturbances [1,2]
Blood samples were collected from 33 German Holstein (GH) cows with Abomasal displacement (AD), 36 healthy control GH cows, and 32 healthy German Fleckvieh (GF) cows, and neuropeptide concentrations of substance P (SP) and vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP) were measured via commercially available bovine-specific ELISA kits (USCN Cloud-Clone Corp., Houston, TX, USA)
In contrast to former reports of a significant reduction in neuropeptide concentrations within abomasal walls of cows suffering from AD [10] and the expected higher serum concentrations in these the abomasal walls of cows suffering from AD [10] and the expected higher serum concentrations in cases, in the current study there were no significant differences in serum SP or VIP concentrations these cases, in the current study there were no significant differences in serum SP or VIP

Summary

Introduction

A multitude of risk factors for the development of abomasal displacement (AD) in cows have been described, including early lactation, breed and genetics, nutrition and body condition, puerperal diseases, and electrolyte disturbances [1,2]. Atony of the abomasum and associated reduced abomasal emptying rates are regarded as prerequisites for the onset of abomasal displacement [3]. The reduced abomasal emptying is seen after surgical correction of the displacement, and therapeutic efforts have been made to treat these postoperative paralytic states of ileus [4]. Administered erythromycin has been shown to improve postoperative abomasal emptying rates [4]. Different neuropeptide concentrations—including those of substance P (SP) and vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP)—have been described within the abomasal walls in German Holstein (GH) cows and German Fleckvieh (GF) cows, in which AD only occurs rarely [5]. The hypotheses of the current study were that there may be differences between serum SP and VIP concentrations in cows suffering from left abomasal displacement compared to healthy controls and between serum neuropeptide concentrations

Objectives

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion